'We've heard about this with other families, but you never think it’ll be your own'

The mum of a schoolgirl whose ‘growing pains’ turned out to be bone cancer has warned other parents not to dismiss vital signs.

Sonia Cobane, 10, first started complaining of pain in her right leg back in February. Her mum Sharie believed she may have hurt herself playing in the park.

But as the problem persisted, Sharie assumed her daughter had growing pains – saying she “didn’t think anything of” the youngster’s discomfort.

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By mid-March, Sonia had developed a lump just below her knee and the pain was constant. Her agony meant the Gorton schoolgirl couldn’t even walk to a nearby shop.

Concerned by her worsening condition, Sharie, 26, took her daughter to see a doctor who sent her for an MRI scan. The test revealed a mass and the family were referred to hospital.

By the time they were seen by a specialist in May, Sonia’s lump had grown to the size of a golf ball. A biopsy later confirmed their worst fears – the youngster had osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.

Mum-of-one Sharie can recall the moment she was given the news. “I was shocked, I was scared, I was worried,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “Because she’s my only child.

“I really thought I was going to lose her more than anything. I was frightened. There was all sorts going through my head at that point.”

Sonia was put on a chemotherapy course straight away and will soon finish her sixth round. Next week, the youngster will undergo a knee operation on her right leg.

“The cancer has shrunk and they are quite happy with her leg,” Sharie added. “We have to go to Birmingham for an operation then back to our hospital for another five rounds of chemotherapy.

“I